Cyclone Biparjoy: Tracking Storm Path and Forecast for India and Pakistan
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near the border of India and Pakistan on Thursday evening with winds of up to 78 miles per hour, meteorological departments in India and Pakistan said. After lingering over the Arabian Sea for days, the storm brought heavy rain and flooding in coastal areas in both India and Pakistan.
The storm weakened to the equivalent of a tropical storm after making landfall as a cyclone. The storm was forecast to become the equivalent of a tropical depression by Friday night, according to the India Meteorological Department
As the storm approached land, storm surge became a concern. Tide levels were forecast to be six to 10 feet above normal in areas near and just south of the cyclone’s center.
At least two people were killed in India’s western state of Gujarat after Biparjoy made landfall, the authorities said. Earlier this week, three boys died after they drowned off the coast of Mumbai.
Tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea, like this one, have become more frequent the past couple of decades because of warming sea surface temperatures in the region, enhanced by a warming climate, according to researchers.